Measles Outbreaks Are Forcing Immunocompromised Kids to Make Impossible Choices

664 points by wiredmagazine 15 hours ago on reddit | 23 comments

donkeyrocket | 13 hours ago

This is the reason why being indifferent that anti-vaxxers are just going to ruin themselves isn't the right call. We should continue to shame those who feel they don't need to participate appropriately in modern society.

If they didn't vaccinate but also didn't participate in society that would be one thing (still a shame for the children who have no power in the situation) but their selfish decisions and insistence on exposing everyone else to those choices is beyond aggravating.

IceColdMilkshakeSalt | 12 hours ago

They eventually will have to participate in society when their kids are about to die, as we’ve seen when the Amish bring their kids to hospitals and cause outbreaks

FesteringNeonDistrac | 10 hours ago

They're also talking about kids getting bullied for wearing a mask. So much for "my body my choice" when it's somebody else making a different choice.

SilverMedal4Life | 8 hours ago

That's always how it's been. They are hyoocrites who hide behind personal freedoms, while being the first to bully and mock those they don't like or agree with.

[OP] wiredmagazine | 15 hours ago

As students head back to school, parents of immunocompromised kids have a new worry: How to deal with the resurgence of measles.

Cases have reached a 35-year high in the US, with nearly 3,000 confirmed infections in 2026 so far. With vaccination rates dropping across the country, parents whose kids have weakened immune systems are weighing whether it’s safe enough to go to school.

Parents who spoke to WIRED said they were prepared to take their children out of school. That comes with a different set of risks, though. During the pandemic, remote learning was associated with an increase in social isolation and behavioral and mental health issues among students.

Read the full story at the link above.

Anis930 | 13 hours ago

Not vaccinating your kids shouldn't be a "choice" it's very much child abuse

LevelPerception4 | 11 hours ago

Thankfully, some pediatricians are choosing not to accept unvaccinated patients. Doctors shouldn’t enable this abuse, especially when it puts other patients at risk.

khays8228 | 11 hours ago

My daughter has a kidney transplant in 2018. I thank god her doctors checked her titers before her transplant and gave her an extra MMR vaccine prior to getting her new kidney. I’ve had her titers checked recently and she still has immunity. MMR is a live vaccine and transplant recipients can’t get it.

After_Preference_885 | 13 hours ago

“I looked into Ben’s innocent eyes… and could barely speak without crying. How could anyone ask Ben to fight more than leukemia? To ask him to fight a vaccine-preventable disease on top of it? It is unconscionable."

https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/toolkits/community-immunity-toolkit/why-is-community-immunity-all-our-job/

OverlordSheepie | 13 hours ago

We don't allow kids to bring weapons to school but being unvaccinated is kind of like being a biological weapon for the immunocompromised. 🤔

jerrrrremy | 14 hours ago

Sound's like the only real choice is to move to a different country that isn't run by clowns.

kylco | 12 hours ago

Most can't. If you or a dependent have an ongoing medical condition, many countries will refuse to allow you to immigrate. And that's setting aside the expense of emigration in the first place.

cyberfunky_fresh | 9 hours ago

To name a few: Canada, New Zealand and Australia are very strict about this and have medical cost thresholds that effectively ban the disabled from immigrating to those countries. It’s not just cost they are worried about, it’s framed in eugenics because many legal systems view disabled people as being “unable” to contribute meaningfully to society and don’t want them, for example, starting families with locals.

nkdeck07 | 12 hours ago

You can at least move to a state that does. My kid is exactly one of those immune compromised kids they are talking about and I am so thankful we live in a state where everyone is mostly educated and actually vaccinates. However if there's even a whiff out of an outbreak at her school I am gonna need to yank her and her sister instantly. Fuck their truancy officer, I'd rather have an alive kid that keeps her sight and hearing.

nostrademons | 9 hours ago

Eh most communities in the U.S. still have extremely high vaccination rates. Even in red states like Texas where there are copious ways to opt out and the overall vaccination rate is falling, and particular regions like North Texas that have been epicenters for measles outbreaks, there are still large numbers of schools with a 100% vaccination rate. Do your research and don't live near people who don't vaccinate.

JunglePygmy | 7 hours ago

Another day in the long war republicans have waged against the well being of children on this planet

saul2015 | 10 hours ago

if you care about Measles, you should also care about covid/long covid which can only be resolved with revamping air quality indoors with mandated HVAC HEPA filtration and air purifiers

randyfloyd37 | 13 hours ago

These are the same choices that susceptible kids and their parents have to make when they choose not to vaccinate. Yes, there are kids who are more susceptible to vaccine injure but dont qualify for state medical exemptions. Yes, these kids and their parents are people too, they have the same rights as everyone else but their choices are unpopular and vilified in the media so they are often treated like dirt

Fuzzy_Ad9970 | 13 hours ago

> Yes, there are kids who are more susceptible to vaccine injure but dont qualify for state medical exemptions.

Sure Jan

harp011 | 13 hours ago

I don’t think you’re coming from a place of good faith. Vaccine injury is exceedingly rare.

Plus people who are susceptible to vaccine injury are protected by the vaccination rates in their community, so invoking their struggle only emphasizes the need for every able-bodied person to take their fucking shots like a big boy

donkeyrocket | 13 hours ago

The number of immunocompromised children drastically outweigh those who have the potential of serious vaccine injury. There's no world where these things are comparable nor is this article referencing those genuine cases.

Pretending that any significant number of anti-vaxxers or their children are genuinely susceptible to vaccine injury is ridiculous and the exact phony justification most use. Basically the same route as claiming someone has a slow metabolism or is big boned.

Diarygirl | 10 hours ago

I think most people are sympathetic to children of anti-vaccine parents. I think you're the one being vilified and not your unvaccinated children.